BOSTON - No. 1 Boston College men's ice hockey advanced to the Beanpot Championship with an 8-2 win over Northeastern at TD Garden on Monday night. The Eagles improved to 20-4-1 with their eighth-straight win, while the Huskies dropped to 9-13-3.
Eight different Eagles tallied a goal as BC won its first Beanpot Semifinal game since 2019.
Teddy Stiga scored the first goal of the game just 46 seconds in to kick off a three-goal first for the Eagles. Connor Joyce extended the lead to 2-0 with his first goal of the season on a backhand feed from Brady Berard to the slot for a one-time shot.
Northeastern answered 40 seconds later on a goal from Ben Poitras. However, Boston College was not done with its first-period scoring as captain Eamon Powell notched his second of the season with a minute and a half to play in the frame.
The Eagles' lead stretched to four by the second intermission as Aram Minnetian contributed to a pair of goals. In the first minute of the period, he sent a clearing pass to Ryan Leonard at center ice, who held and found a streaking Lukas Gustafsson on the left side for a shot on an open net. Late in the period, it was Minnetian that found the back of the net on a wrister from the top of the left circle.
BC matched its first period effort with a three-goal third as Andre Gasseau, Leonard and James Hagens each lit the lamp. Leonard finished with a game-high three points on a goal and two assists.
In net, Jacob Fowler turned in 28 saves in the win for the Eagles. Northeastern netminder Cameron Whitehead made 23 stops as BC held a narrow, 31-30, advantage in shots on goal.
SCORING
1st 0:46 BC Teddy Stiga (James Hagens, Drew Fortescue)
1st 13:59 BC Connor Joyce (Brady Berard, Aidan Hreschuk)
1st 14:39 NU Ben Poitras (Jackson Dorrington, Seth Constance)
1st 18:29 BC Eamon Powell (Jake Sondreal, Michael Hagens)
2nd 0:35 BC Lukas Gustafsson (Ryan Leonard, Aram Minnetian)
2nd 17:29 BC Aram Minnetian (Mike Posma, Oskar Jellvik)
3rd 13:36 BC Andre Gasseau (Gabe Perreault, Ryan Leonard)
3rd 15:25 NU Dylan Hryckowian (Jake Boltmann)
3rd 16:07 BC Ryan Leonard (Gabe Perreault)
3rd 18:19 BC James Hagens (Teddy Stiga, Lukas Gustafsson)
GAME NOTES
- The Eagles are 83-59-1 in the Beanpot.
- BC won its first Beanpot semifinal game since 2019 and defeated Northeastern in the Beanpot for the first time since 2014; having lost five in a row.
- Boston College is now on an eight-game winning streak.
- BC's eight goals were the most in a Beanpot game since an 8-4 win in the 1990 Consolation Game vs. Northeastern and the most in a Beanpot Semifinal since a 9-8, overtime win over Northeastern in 1973.
- Gasseau scored his ninth goal of the season.
- Gustafsson scored his second goal of the season.
- Hagens scored his seventh goal of the season.
- Joyce scored his first goal of the season.
- Leonard scored his 23rd goal of the season.
- Leonard recorded his ninth and 10th assists of the season with his second multi-assist game of the year.
- Minnetian scored his second goal of the season. He also notched his third multi-point game of the season.
- Powell scored his second goal of the season.
- Stiga's opening-minute score extended his point streak to nine games and marked his 10th goal of the season. Stiga and BC have scored in the first minute of the game in two of the last three. Overall, BC has scored in the first minute on three occasions this season.
UP NEXT
Boston College visits New Hampshire on Friday for a 7 p.m. contest on NESN. The Eagles will face BU in the Beanpot Championship on Monday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. inside TD Garden.
